


I'll Never Tell

by maria_j_harper



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Blood, Classism, M/M, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-01
Updated: 2014-08-01
Packaged: 2018-02-11 09:01:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2062086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/maria_j_harper/pseuds/maria_j_harper
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remember when Eridan found out about Karkat's blood color and nearly culled him, and then afterwards ignored/avoided Karkat for nearly a perigee before finally accepting it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	I'll Never Tell

“Kar, be careful, that’s-”  
Too late, Karkat has slipped and fallen on the rocks  
“-Slippery.”  
“FUCK.”  
You had thought it would be fun, inviting your friend to come explore the tidal pools on the beach near your home. You had thought it could be a bonding experience that might help you maybe take your relationship to the next level. Instead, the brash impulsive little fucker had decided to try to climb to the top of the tallest of the rock outcroppings. Fortunately, he hadn’t made it very far up, but now he’s shaking his hand and cussing a blue streak.  
“Are you okay Kar?” you call, hurrying over his way.  
“FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC. NO REALLY, I’M FINE. STAY THERE, I DON’T WANT YOU TO HURT YOURSELF TOO.”  
Why is he just sitting there? Shouldn’t he have gotten up by now? Instead he’s just sitting there staring at his hand and swearing every few seconds. Had he cut his hand? Immediately, you imagine yourself tenderly wrapping his hand in your cape; yes, you would really ruin your cape for this grouchy bastard. Maybe you could even give his hand a kiss, you know, to make it better. It is with these thoughts that you continue to hurry towards him, despite his request for you not to.  
“Fucking barnacles, did you cut yourself?” you ask as you approach.  
He immediately cups his hand, holding it toward himself. “NO, IT STINGS LIKE HELL BUT IT’S JUST A SCRAPE I THINK,” he growls.  
“Let me see your hand.” You reach for his arm.  
“NO, I TOLD YOU, I’M FINE. BACK OFF, NOOKLICKER.”  
He pulls away from you, but you’ve already grabbed onto his arm, and even as he tries to back away you pull his hand toward you.  
There are three cuts, all pretty shallow. Only one of them is still actually bleeding. Bright red blood pools in the palm of his hand and drips onto the rocks. It takes you a moment to process what you are seeing, but once you do you release his hand. You’re shaking. You can feel your hands trembling. “Go.” You point to the shore.  
“ERIDAN-”  
“Do you knoww wwhat my lusus wwould do if he kneww I wwas fraternizing wwith a mutant? You’re disgusting. I can’t believve I wwas friends wwith a fucking mutant, it’s revvolting! You’re fucking lucky I don’t cull you right here and noww. Get out of my sight, before I change my mind.”  
You can see tears pooling in his golden eyes, red tears which he seems to ignore, glaring at you defiantly, even as he gets to his feet. He walks carefully around you. You don’t turn around until you’re certain he’s gone. You are a sea dweller. You had always known that he was probably lower on the hemospectrum than you, but that hadn’t seemed to matter. He could have been an olive blood, you wouldn’t have cared. But a mutant?  
You’d wanted to kiss him. You’d wanted to spend time with him, to hold him, to-  
You think you’re going to be sick.

3:20 caligulasAquarium (CA) has begun trolling cuttlefishCuller (CC)

CA: fef, I need to talk to you about somefin. It’s important.  
CC: shore eri-fish, what’s on your mind?  
CA: I wwas hanging out wwith karkat today.  
CC: >8D DID YOU T-ELL HIM HOW YOU F---E-EL?  
CA: no. i can’t believve i evver had feelings for that filthy land dwweller.  
CC: >8( eridan, I thought we went over this. you said you came to terms with it! I THOUGHT W-E HAD MAD-E SOM-E R-E-EL PROGR-ESS!  
CA: yeah, wwell, that wwas before i kneww the shade of swwill running through his vveins. trust me fef, if you kneww wwhat i kneww you’d understand wwhy i wwant nothing to do wwith him.  
CA: revvolting is wwhat it is.  
CC: eri-fish, why does it matter what color his blood is? karcrab is still karcrab. nofin has changed aboat him from the day you admitted you were fins over heels for him. why is blood cast so important to you?  
CA: some things are acceptable, and some things just aren’t. i’m not like fucking equius, i don’t get off on that kind of depravved pervversion.  
CC: COM-E ON -ERIDAN! what cod be so bad it changes your feelings entirely?  
CA: ...  
CA: you just don’t understand.

You don’t know why you didn’t tell her. Yes you do. Whatever else happened between you and Karkat, you couldn’t help but feel something for him. Some profane part of you still felt affection and loyalty to him, and no matter how hard you tried to quash it, that part of you wouldn’t allow you to betray him.

Weeks later, but not many

10:32 caligulasAquarium (CA) has begun trolling grimAuxiliatrix (GA)

CA: kanaya, I need to talk to you about somefin. feferi just doesn’t understand.  
GA: Eridan, I Am Not Speaking To You Until You Apologise To Karkat. You Really Hurt His Feelings.  
10:33 grimAuxiliatrix (GA) has blocked caligulasAquarium (CA)

Perigees later

5:17 caligulasAquarium (CA) has begun trolling carcinoGeneticist (CG)

CA: hey kar.  
CG: HEY FISH-FACE.  
CA: kar listen  
CA: i’m sorry.  
CG: YEAH, WELL  
CG: I WON’T TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED EVER AGAIN IF YOU WON’T.  
CA: deal.  
CG: SOLLUX HAS GOT THIS GAME HE WANTS EVERYBODY TO PLAY. YOU IN?  
CA: yeah, sure.


End file.
